Waste receiver



c. J. B EYER WASTE RECEIVER May 15, 1951 Filed Oct. 1, 1949 INVENTOR.

a 0 5 m w 6 Patented May 15 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASTERECEIVER Charles J. Beyer, Pasadena, Calif.

Application October 1, 1949, Serial No. 119,064

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-635) The present invention relates to waste receiversin general and particularly to a waste receiver for use in dentaloffioes. More specifically the invention comprises a dental wastereceiver incorporatinga removable throw-away inner receptacle andautomatic waste removing and retaining means.

The dentist in his work inthe oral cavity continually finds need toabsorb moisture present. For this he frequently uses a small pair ofspring forceps to pick from a container a small piece or bunch of cottonor similar absorbent material which he then places into the area to bedried. When the absorption has been effected he removes the swab anddisposes of it within a wastebasket or other handy receptacle. Becauseof the inherent characteristics of cotton and similar absorbents theytend to adhere to the contacting forceps even after the retainingpressure has been released and frequently the dentist must use bothhands to disengage it. The wastebasket or similar receptacle is usuallypositioned on the floor and too frequently the material is dropped onthe fioor adjacent thereto instead of therein.

In the dental receiver constructed in accordance with the presentinvention a relatively small receptacle is adapted to be positioned onthe dentists work tray. It comprises an exterior body within which ismounted a removable throw-away receptacle removably retained in placeand covered by a closure hiding from view the somewhat objectionableused absorbents. The closure is provided with a suitable aperturethrough which the used absorbent may be inserted by the forceps, theopening having sides which, by virtue of their construction, slide alongthe forceps to retain the material as the former are withdrawn. Theconstruction is economical and is adapted to be replaced with eachpatient for complete sanitation.

With an appreciation of the problems present in this field, it is anobject of the invention to provide a new and improved waste receiver fordentists offices.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improveddental waste receiver incorporating a throw-away receptacle. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a dental waste receiverincorporating automatic waste-removing means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple dentalwaste receiver including a rigid body in which is mounted a dispensablethrow-away interior receptacle overlaid by a perforated closure, theinterior receptacle and the closure being removably locked in place.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading thefollowing specification and claims and upon considering in connectiontherewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a dental waste receiver constructedin accordance with the present invention and illustrates the initiationof the insertion of waste carried by forceps Figure 2 is a top view ofthe unit shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical elevation section upon the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded view illustrating the parts of the invention;

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial section illustrating the contour of theretaining ring and its seat in the container body.

The dental waste receiver constructed in accordance with the presentinvention may have various external shapes, rectangular or square orcircular, but in a preferred form is circular in section and is formedby a hollow cylindrical sleeve body I I of suitable metal preferablypolished or coated exteriorly to provide a pleasing surface appearance.The lower end of the cylinder may be open or closed, but for purposes ofeconomy is open, and functions as the supporting base for the unit. Itsupper end is provided with adjacent lower and upper circular seats I2and I3 each formed with bottom and side walls. Lower seat I2 is ofsmaller diameter than upper seat I3 and is adapted to seat the rim I6around the mouth of a cup !'I made of paper or suitable treated materialand which is preferably frustoconical that it may be inserted readilywithin the body II. The height of cup I! is preferably slightly lessthan the distance separating the seat I2 from the lower end of body I Iso that it is entirely supported by its rim.

Upper seat I3 includes a bottom surface adapted to support theperipheral marginal edge of a disc cover plate l8 transversely slittedcentrally at I9, the slits intersecting to provide flexible pie-shapedsectors 2| adapted to be flexed downwardly into the cup by a downwardforce and to spring back into the plane of the disc upon the removal ofthe force. The side wall of seat I3 slopes downwardly and outwardlysothat its diameter is greater at its lower end than at its upper inorder to overlie the peripheral wall 23 of a split ring 24. The circularwall 23 of ring 24 is also of greater diameter at its lower end than atits upper so that in its expanded condition it abuts the side wall ofseat I 3 to provide a locking relationship which permits of thedisplacement of cup I! and disc I8, which the lower edge of the ringoverlies, only when the ring is intentionally compressed sufiiciently asto displace its shoulder 23 inwardly to permit of its upward movementpast the side wall of seat I3.

The receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention isshown in its assembled relationship in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and it is seenthat the closure disc l8 overlies the upper open end of the cup I! andthat both the cup and the closure plate are retained in place by thelocking ring 24. An entrance to the cup I! is provided only through theintersecting transverse slits 19 which, as stated, are defiectible under.a downward force as would be exerted by the dentists forceps as heforces the absorbent ma.- terial downwardly into the cup.

In the use of the receptacle the dentist forces the used absorbentmaterial held between the ends of the spring forceps downwardly betweenthe flexible sectors 2| by initially placing it as shown in Figure 1 andthen moving it downwardly, the members 21 bending inwardly asillustrated in Figure 3. He continues this downward movement until theabsorbent material is entirely below the cover plate [8 and thenwithdraws the forceps, the members 2! sliding along of construction ordesign herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dental waste receiver body comprising an open topped and an openbottomed cylindrical sleeve, the end of said sleeve adjacent the opentop being formed with inner and outer spaced seats, each of said seatsbeing formed with a bottom wall facing toward the open top and with aside wall facingzinwardly across the sleeve, the side wall of the outerseat being frusto-conical with its smaller diameter nearest the opentop,

said inner seat being adapted to seat the rim of a cup positionedtherebelow in said sleeve, said outer seat being adapted to seat theperipheral edge of a perforated flat disc extended across said sleeveand overlying the rim of said cup, and a split retaining ring of a sizeto snap in said outer seat and having a frusto-conical peripheral wallto abut the frusto-conical wall of said outer seat to be cammed therebyto clamp said disc against the outwardly facing wall of said outer seat.

2. In a dental waste receiver, a body having an open top and an openbottom, the top end of said body being formed with vertically spacedupper and lower seats, said lower seat encircling the interior of saidbody and being formed with a'wall facing toward said top and with a wallfacing inwardly across said body, a cup having a rim at its upper openend positioned in said body with said rim extended into said lower seatand overlying the wall thereof facing toward the open top, said upperseat being formed with a wall facing toward the open top and with tafrusto-conical wall facing inwardly across said body, a closure discextended across said body overlying the rim of said cup and resting atits periphery on the wall of said outer seat facing toward said opentop, and a split retaining ring seated in said upper seat formed witha'frustoconical outer wall conforming to the frustoconical wall of saidupper seat and cammed inwardly into said body thereby to clamp theperipheral edge of said disc firmly against the abutting wall of saidupper seat.

CHARLES J. BEYERV REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofrecord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 539,343 Brown May 14, 1895960,236 Simmons May 31, 1910 963,794 Mofiitt July 12, 1910 1,224,778Palm s May 1, 1917 1,394,391 Woolsey Oct. 18, 1921 2,215,531 Bjong Sept.24, 1940 2,379,053 Weingart June 26, 1945

